The pursuit of dinner and trivia

Friday

Nov 23, 2012 at 11:26 AM

Use that useless information you’ve been compiling while getting food and drink specials.

By JJ Knight

Can you name the 23rd president of the United States? Do you know the five countries that border France? What was the name of the soldier character played by Kevin Costner in “Dances With Wolves?”If being peppered by these types of questions is your version of fun, then welcome to the world of competitive team trivia. With a lifetime of knowledge acquired before the invention of Google, your array of seemingly useless information will squash the iPhone-dependent. So round up your friends who love sports, history and entertainment and spend an evening exploiting their minds, while sipping on drink specials and reduced-priced fare.

Beach HouseServing pub food and nightly drink specials, Beach House teams up with local radio stations to bring a unique spin to trivia night. Located at 7219 Market St., 103.7 The Bone and 98.3 The Penguin host three rounds of questions every Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. And do not fear midweek brain busters, staff says. No one wants a challenge in the middle of the work week. And spending two hours answering questions is no trivial pursuit – there are prizes and radio station swag. After each round, a winner is crowned. And though an actual crown is not given, a bucket of brews is. The ultimate champion of the entire evening of trivia is awarded a $50 gift card to Beach House, which can be used on alcohol or food. The radio station playing host for the evening also gives away concert tickets, T-shirts and other items throughout the game.

Hoplite One of Carolina Beach’s laidback hangout hubs, Hoplite Pub and Beer Garden, at 720 N. Lake Park Blvd., welcomes egg heads brimming with general knowledge on a weekly basis. Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Hoplite hosts a team trivia night and though some folks come for the brain teasers, most come for the house specialty. For $10, dine on a lamb burger with a choice of french fries or chips. But be sure to get there early, the special is known to sell out. Bud Light, rum punch and Jagarbombs are also on special Wednesday evenings.

Fox and HoundFor night owls, Fox and Hound has trivia at 9 p.m. Thursdays. Like Beach House, each round winner receives a prize, whether it be merchandise from a vendor or free alcohol. The evening’s ultimate trivia champ gets $50 to spend at Mayfaire’s Fox and Hound – which is the ultimate budget-conscious way to eat out. Order a bottle of craft or import beer for 20 percent off during the battle of wits. Other beers and certain liquor is also priced to be kind to your wallet.

Hell’s Kitchen Don’t let the name scare you, the screams of Gordon Ramsey cannot be heard emanating from the back of Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St. Every Monday at 7:30 p.m., the pub draws all ages for its weekly four-round trivia face-off. The initial three rounds have a theme or category, while the final installment pulls from players’ general knowledge. Acknowledging all valiant efforts, the downtown bar awards gift certificates up to $30 for first, second and third place. Conveniently, from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday some appetizers are discounted, including the chicken tenders, quesadillas and fried pickles. The downtown bar also serves everything from salads to sandwiches, burgers and wraps. Drink specials are also on tap for trivia night.

Got a tip? Send them to JJ Knight at Jessica.Knight@StarNewsOnline.com. Follow @PortCityFoodies on Twitter.